1. Field of the Invention:
The invention relates to an actuator or adjusting drive and, more particularly, to an actuator or adjusting drive for a printing press, the actuator or adjusting drive having an electric drive motor which is connected via a reduction transmission or gear unit to an actuating shaft and via a gear drive to a position transmitter or recorder.
2. Description of the Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 C. F. R. .sctn..sctn.1.97-1.99:
It is necessary for adjusting functions to be performed in many areas of technology. Preferably, the adjusting function is remote-controlled, and the position of the actuating or adjusting member is monitored by a position transmitter or recorder.
German Published Prosecuted Patent Application (DE-AS) 21 21 377 discloses a motor-driven actuator or adjusting drive for valves. The actuator or adjusting drive has an electric drive motor, which acts on the valve spindle through the intermediary of a reduction gear unit or transmission. A previously set valve stroke is measured by a position transmitter, so that, for example, an input is available for an electric controller or for an electric remote-position indicator. For this purpose, a potentiometer is provided as the position transmitter, and is connected to an actuating shaft and to the drive motor, respectively, via a slipping clutch and a gear drive The ohmic resistance or resistivity of the potentiometer corresponds to the previously set valve stroke. Due to the design of this heretoforeknown actuator or adjusting drive, it is not suitable for a flexible application and, moreover, it takes up a relatively large amount of space, so that its field of application is limited.
In printing-press technology, actuators or adjusting drives are required for a wide range of tasks. For example, it is possible to use actuators for positioning the suction heads of a sheet-fed press in order to adapt to or match a desired printing format or sheet size, it being advantageous, in this regard, to have a position feedback for the control electronics. The wide range of different tasks for actuators or adjusting drives in printing technology, coupled with the cramped or crowded construction of a printing press technically required in that technology, does not permit unrestricted use or installation of heretoforeknown actuators or adjusting drives.